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09 Apr 2017
Amman -- Marwan Juma, former minister of information and communications technology, affirmed that Jordan has made significant achievements in the field of information technology and benefiting from the integration between media and technology. He indicated that Jordan had witnessed an early experience in online communities, dating back to the mid 1990s.<br />
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In a lecture he delivered at the Jordan Media Institute (JMI) titled "Media and Communication Technology in Jordan," moderated by JMI Dean Dr. Basim Tweissi, Juma said that the silent majority, which rejects the chaos of information, also refuses to be active on social media. This has made a small minority control the public domain and sometimes depart from the truth and move away from noble values and professional standards. It has controlled this dangerous world and given the entire community its own color. <br />
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The lecture is part of the "guest lecturers program." The JMI hosts a number of opinion leaders, decision-makers, and prominent journalists to give lectures to JMI students, in which they sum up their views of a number of topics.<br />
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The chairman of the Board of Directors of "Oasis 500," a company involved in funding and accelerating IT businesses, added that the negative effect of lies and character assassination by social media is very serious because it spreads fast and is easily accessible by people, unlike traditional media, especially newspapers and magazines, which have had limited circulation. <br />
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Juma added that blocking or shutting down violating platforms by the official agencies is ineffective because there are alternatives, including websites, Facebook, Twitter, and others. It is more effective to stiffen penalties and use the method of awareness-raising and education of the public and those supervising social media platforms. <br />
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He underlined the important role of the Jordanian Media Credibility Monitor (AKEED) and what it does in terms of revealing false news and the absent truth through its reports, which are characterized by scientific methodology and high professionalism. <br />
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On official performance and its role in revealing the truth of events sometimes and providing information to citizens, Juma said that if the official reply or clarification came two hours after the event, it would be late because it would have left the media sphere to deceivers to spread their lies and poison. In the eyes of the public, those deceivers hold the truth. He urged the government to go back to the approach that was in place years ago under the banner "Ask the Government" when the minister personally used to reply to people's questions. He said that an efficient team could be formed at every ministry now to assume this task in order to control rumors and the absence of truth and keep citizens informed of what is taking place. <br />
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Juma, who has assumed several leading positions in a number of ICT companies, answered questions by the attendees.<br />
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It is worth noting that the JMI has started receiving applications for the MA program in Journalism and New Media for the year 2017/2018 until 6 July. <br />
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For more information, please visit the website of the JMI www.jmi.edu.jo or call the following numbers + 962 6 5713304/6 <br />